r/skipatrol

I've been thinking about joining patrol as a snowboarder the past couple years. Well this season I actually picked up some skis and am even more motivated. Thing is I know I will need at least one full season to get close to that expert level. But for skiing only 25 days this year I got it really fast and can rip groomed blacks no problem, I think i could have skied the whole mountain if i had picked them up at the beginning of the season vs march. Crossing over from snowboarding was really easy for me (probably because I splitboard 80+ days a year)

But my question is do you think there are any mountains or smaller ops that might let someone of my skill level work as patrol and essentially gain my ski skills on the job? For background I have been snowboarding 20yrs, splitboarding 11 years and getting ~100 days splitboard only the past few years. WFR cert, + aiare rec 1, 2 and rescue. Also Im on tele gear if that matters. I feel like I see tons of patrol guys on tele. Tahoe based but not locked down.

I'm a USC student doing research on how extreme cold affects phones for people who depend on them outdoors. I've skied my whole life and this is something I've genuinely become obsessed with understanding — a ski patroller in Taheo I spoke with recently pointed me to this community and said you all would know this better than anyone, which honestly made me really excited to reach out.

I made a short survey which should take no more than like 5 minutes, and it's completely anonymous. No pressure at all, I just want to hear what people actually experience before I make any assumptions.

If anyone wants to chat beyond the survey, I'd love that too. Thanks so much!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHBu4kiJT0V6VKBOVnbfpW4U-wbAOs-lDFiBGNsd5_ksaJIQ/viewform?usp=dialog

Learning on the job?

Does your phone actually hold up in extreme cold? — I'm a USC student looking into the problem and whether it exists for a project I'm working on for school.